The Pearl of Psalms
(POP 03)
Psalm 23:3a
My Soul - His Delight
This morning I want to unpack for you one of the most glorious truths you will find in all the Scriptures. You will, I am persuaded, have to search hard to beat what we are going to see together in the Word of God this morning. We are studying our way through the 23rd Psalm - the Pearl of Psalms as it has been called - please open your Bibles with me to that chapter. While you are going there allow me to set the secene.
Do you remember the famous artist, Michelangelo and his painting of the Sistine Chapel? One of the most famous paintings or parts of that great work is “The Creation of Adam.” It has Adam positioned on the left side and God with His angels positioned on the right. But the focus point is the center where the two hands of God and Adam are outstretched with fingers that, I believe, have just touched. It is a fascinating picture, for it is this touch that has given life to Adam, and not only to Adam, but to you and me as well. It is this touch that tells of all the love of God for Adam and for you and me as well. It is this touch that point to Calvary and to the empty tomb - it is this touch in which God cries out to all the world, ‘I love you.’ It is this touch that reaches to you and me this very hour and tells of His love. There is an old chorus that says, “He touched me, yes, He touched me - and oh the joy that filled my soul.” It is this personal touch, this momentum of divine love journeying intensely from God to man that we read about in Psalm 23 this morning. Please would you read that psalm out loud with me please.
READ - PRAY
Let’s confess that together, “He restores me soul.” No, no - I must not have said that clearly enough. Let’s say that out loud together this morning - but I want us to do that as a confession. What is a confession? A confession is the proclamation of truth in faith in such a way that it releases spiritual power from the throne of God. Let me say that again because it is early in the sermon and some of you may not have been listening yet - and I don’t want the devil to steal this one from you. A confession is the proclamation of truth with faith in such a way that it releases power from the throne of God. I want us to confess this vers together. Confess.
If you are taking notes - my title this morning is “My Soul - His Delight.”
What does it mean when we say, “He restores my soul?”
The Hebrew word for “restore” is used over 1000 times in the Old Testament and it has the connotation of rescuing and renewing, and literally means to return a thing to its original condition. Come on now - you know what I am saying. If you are going to be restored, you have to be restored to something - something that you once were. You are being returned to a former better state. So what is the former state better state that you are being returned to? A nicer you, a purer you a not as sinful you? No - there was no such thing. You have always been as sinful as you are. The only thing God can restore you and me to that we once enjoyed was not a better or a nice you - but a perfect you, a complete you, a whole you - the you He created that has got lost in the pain and sin of life. I believe that David is making a profound point and declaring a profound theological truth about what that God wants to do and about what God is doing and about what God has done to his soul. He restored it. He rescued it. He renewed it. He restored it to its original condition. He did not simply make it better, or nicer - and He did not simply put a nice coat of paint on it . . . He restored it. He did not do a cover-up job or a patch up job - He restored it to it original condition. That would be a good time to say ‘Amen!’ Don’t leave me alone up here - there are profound truths this morning, there is good food at the table, but you are going to have to reach in a take some for yourself. So stay with me and let’s not miss out on it. God does not want simply to clean you up - He wants to make you new again. He wants to take your past and not simply forget about it, He wants to eradicate it. He does not want simply want you to look good again, He wants you to be good again. Forget about ‘pimp my ride’, He wants to pimp your hide. Oh - I can see I am going too deep for some of you already and we not even started.
Let me tell you what I believe the psalmist is referring to here. Remember, this imagery that the psalmist is using is that of a shepherd and his relationship to his sheep. How would a shepherd ‘restore’ the soul of a sheep?
One of the dangers facing a sheep is that it becomes ‘cast’ and one of the challenges facing a shepherd is to make sure that his sheep do not become cast. A cast sheep is one that has turned over on its back and is, become of it lack of agility and it thick wooly coat, is unable to get up again by itself and will, if not helped, die in that position. This condition is not uncommon among pregnant sheep. Unless the shepherd keeps diligent watch over his flock, a cast sheep will die or fall victim to predators. The shepherd must "restore" such sheep. He must help the cast sheep to get back on its feet again and regain its equilibrium.
Author Phillip Keller writes: “A ‘cast down’ sheep is a very pathetic sight. Lying on its back, its feet in the air, it flays away frantically struggling to get up, without success. It will bleat out for help in frightened frustration. If the shepherd does not arrive on the scene within a reasonably short time, the sheep will die. This is why it is so essential for a shepherd to look over his flock every day, making sure they are up on their feet. If even one is missing the first thought to flash to the shepherd’s mind is “One of my sheep is cast down somewhere. I must go in search of it and set it on its feet again.”
But it’s not only the “cast-down” sheep that need restoring, but also the constantly wandering sheep.”
Haddon Robinson tells that when a shepherd took his sheep out to graze that often, one of the sheep would become interested in a tuft of grass here and another there and another. Finally, without realizing, it discovers it has wandered away from the flock. The shepherd that night counts the sheep when they come into the fold: “96-97-98-99" and discovers one is missing. And so leaving his flock in the care of a trusted friend he moves out into the darkness. As he walks he calls out and listens for the cry of the sheep. Finally, out in the darkness, he hears the bleating of this lost one. He goes to it, puts it on his shoulders and brings it back to the fold.
I have seen many a child of God needing restoration. There have been many a time when I have needed restoration. Times when I have wandered into sin, and the Shepherd came and fetched me. And some of you know what I am talking about this morning - you wandered into sin, and He fetched you.
I have also seen His children become cast in sin - so caught up and so tied up in sin that could do nothing. They could not come out of it by themselves, could not turn over and get back on their feet by themselves. Some times they had given up.
A man once wrote his pastor: "Life ended for me somewhere during these years . . . through a slow process. It took years to stifle my faith; but now, it is entirely gone . . . I am only a shell. Perhaps even the shell . . . is gone." Are you like that man? Is that your story this morning? Once your faith was radiant, your testimony was sure and your witness was strong. Then over a period of time it died a slow death, at the hands of unbelief, worry, tension, frustration or sin.
It may be the storms of life or the scars of love that have made it hard to really believe. One of the tragic realities of spiritual life is that there are seasons when love grows faint and faith grows weak and the spiritual light seems all but snuffed out. You may see a man or a woman who loves Jesus and serves God faithfully, and ministers effectively to those around them. And then one day, they fall into sin, seem to turn their back on the Lord and on His work. A child grows up in a Christian home, accepts the Lord at an early age - seems to be going on with the Lord - and then the pressures of life, the worries of the world, the pain of broken relationships and the schemes of satan seem to interrupt the flow of their lives and when you look again, it seems they have fallen away. We all know people like this - and perhaps have even been there ourselves.
Well here is the good news this morning. Our text provides great encouragement, holds out clear hope, offers sure promise. It says, “He restores my soul.”
Now there are three things I invite you to notice with me this morning about these words if you will.
Firstly:-
1. RESTORATION IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD
Restoration is consistent with the character of God. Satan tears down, God builds up. Satan seeks to destroy - God restores. When the Holy Spirit inspired David to pen these words, "He restores my soul" God had a very special program of restoration in mind. My Bible tells me that God is not going to sit in heaven and allow His children to fall away. No, He will restore them to that place of love and obedience that they need to be in. So I want you to notice three things about the restoration God envisages.
a) He is Select in the Candidates for Restoration
God does not promise to restore everybody’s souls. Daily there are people all over this world who turn their backs on God. There was a time when they met with the people of God, they studied their Bibles and did all the right things, but if you see them today, they neither love God nor obey His Word. They have fallen away. And God does not restore them. Why not. Well the answer to that is very simple. They were not saved in the first place. They might have got religion, but they were not saved.
"But preacher, I knew somebody who became a Christian but they backslid and now they are no longer Christians, I was there though when they became a Christian."
Now they might have gone through the motions of becoming a Christian but they were not Christians. They might have walked an aisle or filled out a card or even said a prayer, but there was no genuine repentance of God given turning from their sin and fleeing to Jesus Christ."
"But preacher, are you not being a little hard?"
I’m just telling you what the Bible tells me. If you like, let me read it to you. 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us, but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."
God’s Word does not come much clearer than that. John is almost being pedantic in making that as clear as he could. Now Jesus says a similar thing to this in Matthew 7:21-23.
You see, God is select in the candidates whom He restores. Before you can say, "He restores my soul" you must be able to say, "The Lord is my Shepherd". Here is God’s promise to you if you are a child of God. He will always restore your soul.
b) He is Sovereign in the Circumstances of your Restoration
It does not matter how deeply you backslide or how far you move from God, He will set into motion a program for your restoration. He will engineer history to bring you back. Well lets ask the psalmist how he came back to God.
"David, tell us this morning, how did you come to be restored to God again. Was it just chance that brought you back?"
"No"
"Well then what was it. Do you think that you pulled yourself by the scruff of the neck one day and decided to come back to God?"
"No"
"O.K. Was it that you got all emotional one day and while you were feeling that way you got thinking and..."
"No"
"What was it then?"
"It was God. God restored my soul. God set into motion a plan of action, a program for the restoration of my soul."
That’s right. Look at psalm 23 again. "He makes me lie down... He leads me...He restores my soul....He guides me in paths of righteousness...He is with me..." It is all of God.
Not only is God SELECT IN THE CANDIDATES and SOVEREIGN IN THE CIRCUMFERENCES OF RESTORATION, but thirdly,
c) He is Successful in the Completion of your Restoration
God never set out to restore a soul and didn’t get it right. God never lost a soul that He saved or a disciple that He allowed to back slide. He always got them back. It may have taken months or years, but God never lost a soul He ever saved. As a matter of fact Jesus words to the Father at the close of His ministry were, "Father, I have not lost one that You gave me."
Roman’s 8:29-30 puts it this way. "Those God predestined He also called, and those He called He also justified, and those He justified He also glorified." Did you notice that, we were reading about a distinct group of people, God is successful in the completion of your restoration. As a matter of fact the Bible goes on to say in Romans 8:38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, not height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation can ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus".
Well we have looked at the RESTORATION IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD.
But secondly I want you to notice with me this morning concerning restoration. It is . . .
2. RESTORATION IS THE CHARTER OF SALVATION
Your salvation is all about restoration - restoration of mind, body and spirit.
Salvation restores your mind.
Romans 12:1-2
Salvation restores the body.
Matthew 8:16
Matthew 10:7-8
Salvation restores the spirit
Just as God breathed His spirit into man at creation, so God restores that to man at salvation. “If the same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwell in you He shall quicken your mortal bodies.” Romans 8:11
How will God restore your soul?
a) The Counselor, Who is the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin and righteousness (John 16:8.)
b) The Canon, which is the Scriptures
Psalm 19:7 “The word of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.”
John 17:17
c) Chastisement, which is for Sons
Hebrews 12:4ff
You see, God loves you so much that is when the Spirit has gently lead you and you have not responded, the Word has moved your heart, but you’ve not repented - God will send chastisement.
If we will not receive counsel from the Spirit of God nor instruction from the Word of God, then, precious believer, we must receive chastisement from the hand of God.
And that brings me to out third and last point this morning.
RESTORATION IS THE CHARACTER OF GOD
RESTORATION IS THE CHARTER OF SALVATION
3. RESTORATION IS THE CHALLENGE OF THE CHRISTIAN
If you are anything like me, and deep down I suspect you are, then you sometimes find yourself wanting to run away from God’s discipline instead of submitting to it. My friend, we have to stop running from God, turn around, and run to Him - yes, even if He is disciplining us. Why? Because God cannot restore your soul while you are running from Him. Allow me to say that again if you will. God cannot restore your soul while you are running from Him.
Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted. I went astray. But now I keep your Word.”
Hebrews 12:5-6
Here, precious believer, is the promise of God.
“He restores my soul.”
On Thursday May 2, 1996, Dr. Billy Graham was awarded the Golden Congressional Medal, the highest honor this country can bestow upon an individual - only 263 individuals had ever received this in the history of the United States of America. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Billy Graham said that the dilemma within each one of us is addressed by David in Psalm 23.
First, David said, is a problem of emptiness. David wrote, “The Lord in my shepherd; I shall not want.” He was not talking just about physical want, but spiritual want.
I stood on the campus of one of our great universities some time ago, and I asked the Dean. “What is the greatest problem on your campus?” He replied in one word: “Emptiness.” The human heart craves for meaning, and yet we live in a time of spiritual emptiness that haunts millions.
“Nirvana” is the Hindu word for someone who has arrived into the state of perpetual bliss. Media reports said that Kurt Cobain, the NIRVANA rock group’s leader, was the pacesetter for the nineties, and the “savior of rock and roll.” But he said the song in the end which best described his state of mind was “I hate myself and I want to die!” And at age 27 he committed suicide with a gun.
Second, is the problem of guilt. David wrote, “He restoreth my soul, He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.” Down inside we all know that we have not measured up even to our own standards, let alone God’s standard.
Third, David pointed to the problem of death. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.” Death is the one common reality of all human life.”
Emptiness - Guilt - Death.
Precious man and woman here this morning - what have you done about these three problems in your own life?
In the late 1800’s public entertainment consisted of traveling groups of actors who went from town to town. One such actor packed the largest hall in a small Midwestern town. The audience was wildly enthusiastic as the orator recited passages from great plays, poems, and literature. At the end of the performance the actor agreed to take a few requests. Immediately, a hand shot up. The hand belonged to an older man with a weather-beaten face and clothes that were clean, but definitely patched and had seen better days. "Would you, could you, do the 23rd Psalm, please?" The actor thought for a minute, then said, "I’ll do it on one condition. After I have finished, you will come up and recite it also." Puzzled, the old man agreed. The orator began, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want...." As he went, he infused the words with all the tricks of his art. When all the beloved words of the great Psalm were delivered, the audience gave the actor yet another enthusiastic ovation. Then the man who had requested the Psalm came up. His face was not handsome, and his voice was thick and uncultured. Yet as he began to speak, his face took on such a glow of joy, and the love almost leaped from his mouth with the words. When he concluded, "Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever," the only sound in all the hall was the rustle of handkerchiefs as they brushed away tears. The silence went on until the actor stepped forward and said, "Now you know why I wanted him to follow me. It is as I thought. You see, I knew the Psalm, but he, he knows the shepherd."
Do you know the shepherd this morning?
